My Favorite Things: Meat Grinder

 Back in 2011, I was inspired by Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode to do my own version highlighting some of my favorite kitchen and cooking-related items that make great gifts during the holdays.  This year, I've decided to expand the idea to include some general household and organizing items that I find useful or indispensable.  Happy Holidays!

Ground meat used to be a thrifty cut to feed your family, but not anymore.  Most supermarkets now charge extra for pre-ground meat and you can save up to three dollars a pound if you're willing to buy whole chunks of meat and grind it yourself.  At Whole Foods, for example, it's usually $5.99 per pound for ground dark-meat turkey, but if you ask for whole boneless skinless turkey thighs (which they have in the backroom), they're just $3.99 per pound.

It's for this reason that today's Favorite Thing is the food-grinder attachment for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

If you don't own a KitchenAid mixer, there are stand-alone grinder appliances that are comparable in price.  If you don't grind often, you may even consider finding an old hand-crank cast metal model in a consignment shop or antique store.


Disclaimer:  All opinions on these products are my own and I've purchased these items myself or received them as gifts from friends and family.  I don't even receive a kickback from Amazon for the links, so feel free to buy from your favorite local kitchen supplier.  They'll appreciate the business!